How to get through the toughest semesters of the Cohort Day Tax Program - Swapna Ramineni

When I decided to do my masters degree, I chose Golden Gate University, Tax Cohort Program. The reason being I will graduate in just nine months and can network with professionals from my field for job opportunities.

But doing a masters’ degree in just nine months is really challenging.  So I would like to share my experience on how prepare for the toughest semesters in this program based on my experience.

First Semester (August to October)

Advanced Federal Income Taxation (TA-318)

Property Transaction (TA-330)

Tax Research (TA-329)

First three courses are really challenging.  Students really need to manage their time very well.  Every day we had a deadline for either a Quiz or a Research project submission.  I strongly advice everyone to study the Internal Revenue Code, relevant regulations and course binder before each class, otherwise it will be difficult to follow the lecture and follow up later as you will only have time to prepare for the next class.

There will be a Career Fair during this period for which one has to prepare simultaneously along with academic deadlines and focus on getting cover letters and resumes perfected.  Also, at the end of the first semester, one needs to have very good grades as it would be time to apply for internship/full time positions and the interviews start soon after.  Those who need to improve their communications skills must practice by participating in the class discussions.

I believe that in order to secure good grades one must read the course material at least three times. First reading is to get an overview.  Second reading is to understand the topic.  Finally, third time is to get a good command on the subject.

Do your home work regularly and don’t forget to check the web enhanced postings by the professors after each class.  Understand what the professors expect from students when writing exams.  Look at the weight age of each topic and spend time studying accordingly.

The first semester is all about time management and multitasking and setting priorities.

Second Semester (October to December)

Partnerships (TA-328)

Tax Timing (TA-338)

Corporations (TA-322A)

During this period, I experienced a lot of pressure from all the sides trying to juggle very tough courses, interviews and deadlines.

Having a good study partner for these three courses will help a lot.  It’s ok to ask for help.  You will miss a lot of classes because of interviews so please make it a point to call up your friends and ask for their notes.

Out of the three courses above, Partnerships (TA-328), is the most challenging.  But if you study the suggested book/material referred by the professor and do the homework problems as many times as possible, you will do really well on the exams.  The thing with this course is you cannot randomly study any chapter.  If your foundation is weak you cannot get good grades.  You have to do each chapter thoroughly before you move on to the next.  It is not like Tax Timing (TA-338), where the individual chapters are not related to each other.

Never hesitate to take the help of your professors in case of any difficulty in understanding the course material. 

When you are taking three courses at a time, try to set a goal to get a grade “A” for at least one subject and allocate little extra time for this subject compared to other two.

These are my tips for prospective students on how to get through the first two semesters of the cohort program.

-      Swapna Ramineni, CPA, GGU, MST 2012-2013